Test your Oscars knowledge with IMDb Trivia for iPhone

It might not seem like it, but trivia games can be tricky business. They have to feature enough questions to not get stale quickly, yet somehow appeal to a wide enough audience to make them worth creating in the first place. For the most part, IMDb Trivia acquits itself well in that regard. The game […]

It might not seem like it, but trivia games can be tricky business. They have to feature enough questions to not get stale quickly, yet somehow appeal to a wide enough audience to make them worth creating in the first place. For the most part, IMDb Trivia acquits itself well in that regard.

The game gives players access to one pack of 25 trivia questions (split off into five rounds of five questions each) to start. With successful answers in the first round, players can unlock two more question packs. If that still isn’t enough trivia to sooth one’s soul, there are additional bonus packs that can be purchased for $0.99.

The questions themselves do a good job of ranging in difficulty from things only a serious movie and TV buff would know to softballs that casual viewers can handle. The mix of TV and movie questions makes for a great way to prevent the challenge of the questions from becoming too monotonous and one-dimensional.

Unfortunately, once you get past the trivia aspect of IMDb Trivia, the rest of the app is a mixed bag. There are numerous times when the app seems to freeze when you’re waiting for a question or trying to purchase a set of questions. There’s even a bit of a delay from the time you tap to answer a question to when the app registers the answer. These numerous slowdowns mar what is an otherwise fun experience a bit too much to grant a full recommendation.

While trivia games can often feel exclusionary for players who might not be experts in the trivia category at hand, IMDb Trivia does a decent job of mixing tricky questions with easy-to-recall pop-culture moments. Although other shortcomings prevent it from being a must-own app, it still boasts plenty of appeal for those in need of a trivia fix.

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Dan Kricke has been playing with electronics and writing about them for years. He loved his Sega Dreamcast and now the PlayStation 3. On the iPhone, he's a fan of sports apps and anything that offers new music.